Collegio Online

Issue date: 10/18/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Shiho Itooka/Collegio After Sammie Williams scores, Pitt volleyball players get together to congratulate her. PSU beat Rockhurst with a final score of 3-0 Tuesday at John Lance Arena.

Head Volleyball coach Ibraheem Suberu says his team needs to "match what they say with what they do," and after sweeping Rockhurst University on Tuesday in three straight sets they did just that.

The Gorillas started the first match with an 8-2 run, but a resilient Rockhurst club battled back to tighten the match at 22-15.

Behind junior blocker Linda Igbinigie, who finished the match with a pivotal kill and a game-clinching block, the Gorillas won the first match 30-21.

Pitt made quick work of the Rockhurst Hawks in the next two matches, outscoring them 60-34.

Suberu says his team was proficient in its execution, which led to the victory.

"We were full with energy today, and our execution in all areas of the game was at its best," said Suberu. "Our team was very cohesive and each person was efficient in their play."
Sophomore striker Pamela Cartagena led the Gorillas with a team-high 13 kills and eight digs. Junior striker Sammie Williams clocked home 10 kills and 14 digs, while setters Sarah Brannock and Emily Vosseler netted 23 assists apiece.

Andrea Gordon, sophomore striker, converted 11 of her 20 attack attempts, giving her a .550 conversion ratio.
Coming off the loss to West Florida, Suberu says it was all about following through.

"Playing to our potential was definitely a key to this game," said Suberu. "A lot of the times we say the right things and don't do the right things, but today we did them."
Looking ahead, the Gorillas have a stretch of four-straight home games, an advantage that the Gorillas are happy to have.
"It's very important to us to be playing this stretch of games at home," said Suberu. "Now with this stretch at home, we control what happens from here.

"If we continue to improve in all aspects of the game, then we are poised for a big run here at the end of the season," said Suberu.

The Gorillas improve to 23-5 and move on to play Southeast Oklahoma at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, at John Lance Arena.

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